Sunday, October 17, 2010

Married

I took the wedding nail varnish off my toes the other day. It was the one remaining part of me that wasn’t shedding its top layer naturally. I am peeling from just about every conceivable part of me, it’s quite delightful. But it’s worth it, because it’s the result of too much sun on a totally decadent honeymoon.

I haven’t posted for a while because so much has been happening that I don’t know where to start. About three weeks before the wedding, my grandfather on my Dad’s side passed away, and the funeral was on the Friday eight days before the wedding. I’d not seen Grampy for some time, and he’d been suffering from vascular dementia so hadn’t been himself for the last two years. The memorial service was amazing, the church was packed, people were standing at the back, and he’d been such a big figure and featured in so many people’s lives, it was a great thing to see.

The run up to a wedding is a stressful enough time without having to contend with grief and funeral arrangements, but hey, what can you do but get on with things? And from then on it was all hands to the pumps, foot to the floor flat out busy until the day. I’d taken the week off and had a notebook of things to do, which was basically a closely written A5 sheet a day. And it all had to be done on that day because the next day was just as tight. There’s no way around it but it does mean that come your wedding day, a bride is absolutely knackered. I think the ‘glow’ they talk about is residual adrenaline and the euphoria of exhaustion.

But we had an amazing day. The weather running up to the day had been pretty grey but when we got to it the sun shone and it was warm and glorious. We had the service in the village church and the reception was at the farm, in a marquee in the field. Reception drinks and canapés in the garden. Children roister doistering everywhere. Funny speeches, great food, plenty of wine and local beer, dancing and cake and rose petal confetti. I loved my dress. It got taken down the field, across lots of sheepshit, unscathed. I loved The Man in his suit. I loved wearing a veil for the service. I loved knowing he loves me enough to want to go through all that for me (he’s really not one for being the centre of attention) and wear a ring to say to the world that he’s married. To me. Yay! I love that he wanted matching rings. He’s a big sop at heart. :)

He only told me where we were going on honeymoon the morning after the wedding, and he couldn’t have chosen better. He could have chosen cheaper, but you only go on honeymoon once, right? We went to one of the poshest hotels in the Maldives, flew Club Class on BA (oh yes, flat beds), took a little sea plane once we got to Male and pitched up in paradise.

It was perfect, because all we needed after the madness that is wedding planning was to do absolutely nothing for as long as possible. And pretty much all there is on a desert island is to sit around reading and sunbathing until it’s time to eat. Maybe go shell-hunting, or play with the hermit crabs, or dunk in the sea and check out the fish. Oooh, the food was so gooood too. I was so spoilt! We went to the Spa (amazingly beautiful) for one of those massages for couples. Two and a half hours of coordinated pampering, including having to go out into the secluded garden together to use the outdoor shower to sloosh off the body scrub. In paper pants. If we weren’t so chilled out at that point it would have been hilarious!

We got back in time for the Ryder Cup (of course) and finally I was allowed to open all the lovely presents. We were given a lot of really beautiful stuff, which I’ve had a lot of fun using. Sad that I have a lot of fun with kitchen stuff these days, but hey! And for all the new china, we’ve had to get a new sideboard. How terribly grown up.